Hospitalization due to pertussis in children in the pre- and post-implantation periods of the DTaP vaccine for pregnant women

Abstract

Background

Immunization of pregnant women seems to protect infants through passive antibody transfer, and have an impact on disease prevention in infants who have not yet started vaccination for pertussis.

Objective

Analyze the behavior of hospitalization records for pertussis in children under 1 year of age according to the coverage of the Diphtheria, Tetanus and acellular Pertussis (DTaP) vaccine for pregnant women.

Methods

This is an ecological, observational, quantitative study conducted with records of hospitalization due to pertussis in children under 1 year of age in southern Brazil from 2007 to 2017. Data were obtained from the hospital information system at DATASUS.

Results

In the analyzed period, 342.139 children aged ≤1 year were hospitalized as a result of respiratory diseases, and 3.062 of these hospitalizations were due to pertussis. In the pre-vaccination period, the annual average was 102.2/100,000 and, in the post-vaccination period, it was 46.8/100.000, representing a 54.2% decrease in the number of records, varying from 27.8/100.000/year in 2007 to 139.0/100.000/year in 2013, and reducing to 47.9/100.000/year in 2017.

Conclusion

There was a reduction in the number of hospitalizations due to pertussis after the introduction of the DTaP vaccine, even with vaccination coverage <50%.

Keywords:
pertussis vaccine; vaccination coverage; child